The definition of metrics: “a set of measurements that help you evaluate results.” In news outlets, these are the real-time readership numbers behind published work, and they can lead to how you and your work are judged.

May you keep up your morale.

Some key takeaways about metrics and analytics as featured by journalism.co.uk:

“Metrics can deeply affect journalists’ morale”

“News outlets should consider the ‘big picture'”

“The impact of analytics depends on the newsroom”

“Not all metrics are created equal”

Some news outlets put the analytics dashboards in the newsroom, for everyone to see and judge, second by second. Others keep them more private, depending on them for post-publication decision making.

Where is your comfort level?

Some news outlets make real-time decisions based on metrics. Yet, Caitlin Petrie, of the Tow Center suggests:

“This data is simply too powerful to implement on the fly.”

How do you feel about that?

Make no mistake. Metrics and analytics bring value to what you create and what you publish. They take the guesswork out of who is reading your content and when. But there are many ways to view, review, understand and react to this valuable information.